Suture holder and dispenser



Oct. 23, 1951 E ROSS SUTURE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Filed Feb. 6, 1950 Edgqr L. Ross INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 23, 1951 SUTURE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Edgar L. Ross, LosAngeles, Calif., assignor of ten per cent Calif.

to Joseph A. Parker, Los Angeles,

Application February 6, 1950, Serial No. 142,605

Claims.

This invention relates to a holder and dispenser particularly adaptedfor use with wire sutures, the primary object of which is to permit theready delivery of the sutures in straight, single lengths thuseliminating kinks, and consequent breakage of the delivered sutures.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a sutureholder and dispenser which is relatively simple in design andconstruction and very easy to operate so that the handling of thesutures is minimized and the delivery thereof is accomplished with amarked saving in time and trouble.

Yet another object of this invention is to pro- Vide a suture holder anddispenser which lends itself to easy sterilization, either cold or byautoclave, and does not have to be sterilized after each use whenemployed for minor office surgery.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a suture holderand dispenser of the character described including a transparentcontainer and a means for readily indicating the size of the suturewires therein.

And a further object of this invention is to provide a suture holder anddispenser comprising a vertical tube closed at its bottom end and openat its top, elongated sutures retained in said tube, clamping meansretaining said sutures straight and in a bundle, resilient means urgingsaid clamping means into engagement with said sutures, and means forraising said sutures in said tube to expose the upper ends thereofthrough the open top end of said tube.

These, together with various ancillary objects and features of theinvention which will later become apparent as the following descriptionproceeds, are attained by the device, a preferred embodiment of whichhas been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the holder and dispenserillustrating the manner in which the sutures are Wholly containedtherein;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view similar to Figure 1 but illustratingthe manner in which the upper ends of the sutures are exposed fordispensing;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the plane of sectionline 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the clamping means;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the upper end of theholder; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a modifiedform of the invention.

Specific reference will now be made to the drawings. In the severalviews in the accompanying drawings and in the following specificationreference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout.

ing glass, such as Pyrex or the like, and includes a colored band orfrosted area 29 adjacent its top end serving as an indicator for thelength of the wire sutures retained in the tube.

Retained in the tube is a plurality of straight, wire sutures 22aggregated in a bundle, the overall length of the wire sutures beingonly slightly less than the total length of the tube 12, the bottom endsthereof being spaced from the closed end I6 of the tube as at 24. Aclamping means is provided for retaining the sutures straight and in abundle, this clamping means comprising a pair of vertically spacedplates 26 and 2B pivotally interconnected at their vertical edges 39 bymeans of a pair of terminally pivoted links 32 and 34. As will be seenclearly from the drawings, the plates and the links in assembly embracethe bundle of sutures intermediate its ends within the tube I2.

Secured by means of a loop 36 to the bottommost plate 28 is a cable 38,which may be fabricated of any suitable material'but preferably nylon,the cable extending through the aperture I8 of the closed end I6 of thetube. Secured as by a loop 40 to the uppermost plate 26 is a furthercable 42 which extends through a relatively short vertical slot 44provided in the top end I4 of the tube. The cable 42 may be providedwith a loop 46 intermediate its ends embracing the bundle of sutures asshown clearly in Figure 1.

To maintain proper tension on the clamping plates 26 and 28 so that theyare urged at all times into positive engagement with the bundle ofsutures, a coil spring 48 is provided which is disposed exteriorly ofthe tube I2 and which is terminally secured as at 5B and 52, byappropriate loops, to the free ends of the cables 42 and 38,respectively. The cable 42 is further provided with a knob or stop 54disposed exteriorly of the tube I2 which is adapted to engage the sidewall of the tube at the slot 44 to limit the downward movement of thebundle of sutures within the tube so that the bottom end of the sutureswill e m-ta remain spaced from the closed end 16 of the tube as at 24 intheir extreme retracted position thus preventing injury to these ends. Atab 56 may be secured to the cable 38 beneath the coil spring 48 toindicate the length and dimensions of the sutures within the tube.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 6, the construction of thetube i2, the disposition of the sutures 22 therein, and the attachmentof the coil spring 48 to the free ends of the cables is exactly the sameas that shown in Figures 1 .5, however, the clamping plates 26 and 28are eliminated. Accordingly, only a single cable 58 is provided whichextends through the slot -at the top end of the tube and through theaperture 18 at the bottom end of the tube, the external portion thereofincluding the stop 54 engageable with the side Wall of the tube at theslot '44 to limit the downward movement of the sutures therein. Theportion of the cable 58 which is disposed interiorly of the tubeincludes a pair "of loops 60 and "62 intermediate its ends which firmly'em brace the bundle of sutures'zz at vertically spaced points. It isunderstood that the c'o'il spring 48 will be terminally secured to thefreejend portions of the cable 58 to provide proper tension on the loopsso that "they will at 'all times firmly engage and embrace the bundleoffsutu'res.

In use, either of the external portions'of the cables 42 and 38, thecable 58, or the coil spring 48, are urged downwardly with the handtoa'ss'ume the position sho'wn'in Figure 2 so that the upper ends 64 ofthe sutures become exposed and spread slightly 'so'that'an individualsuture may bepulled out of the bundle, the'suture being dispensedwithout any kinks'andwith 'a minimum of handling. The coil spring'f48applies such a tension to the clamping pIates ZS and 2amthe loops 60 and82 so that after the removal of "one 'or more of the sutures, theremainder ofthe sutures are still retained in a tightbundle, "Movementof the external portion of "the cable or the coil spring 48 upwardly to'assurnethepos'itio'n shown in Figure 1 -will eifectivelyreplace'thebundle of unused sutures in the tube, the stop 54 engaging the side'wall ofthe'tube l2'at' the slot 44 to limit the downward movement'ofthebundle of sutures so thatthe'bottom'ends thereof'will not contact theclosed end I 6 of the tube butwill be spaced therefrom as'at 24toprevent injuryto these ends.

In View of 'the foregoingdesoription taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings it is believed that a clearunderstanding'jof'thedevice will be quite apparent to thoseSkilled'in'this E art. A more detailed descriptionisaccordingly deemedunnecessary. 7

It is to be understood, however, that "even though there is hereinshown'and described'a preferred embodiment of the invention the same" issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention'as'herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

ill

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A suture holdler and dispenser comprising a vertical tube closed atits bottom end and open at its top, elongated sutures retained in saidtube, clamping means retaining said sutures straight and in a bundle,said clamping means including a pair of plates and links pivotallyinterconnecting the vertical edges of said plates, said plates and linksembracing said bundle of sutures, resilient means urging said clampingmeans into engagement with said sutures, and means for raising saidsutures in said tube to expose the upper ends thereof through the opentop end of said tube, said raising means including acable, a slot 'inthe top end of said tube and "an aperture provided in the closed endthereof, one end of said cable passing through said slot and beingsecured to one of said plates, the other end of said cable extendingthrough said aperture and being secured to the other of saidp'l'ates, aportion of "said cable extending along the *side wall of saidtube anddisposed exteriorly thereof.

2. The combination of claim .1, wherein said resilient means includes acoil spring :interposed in saidexternal portion'of said cable.

3. The combination of claim f2, and a stop carried by said externalportion of said cable adapted to abut the'side wall of said'tube atisaidslot to limit the downward movement of'said sutures in said tube.

4. A suture holder and dispenser comprising-a vertical tube closed atits bottom :end' and open at its top, said closed end beingprovided withan aperture, a bundle of sutures in saidtube, a slot at the top end ofsaid'tube, a cable in said tube extending through "said slot andsaidaperture, loops intermediate the ends of said cable embracing saidbundle of sutures, and a coil spring disposed exteriorly 'of' said tubeand terminally secured to the free ends'of sai'd 'cable.

'5. The combination of claim 4, and a stop carriedy by said'c'able andengageablewith the side wall of said'tube at saidslot'tolimit thedownward movement of said bundle" of sutures in said tube.

' EDGAR iL. iROSS.

REFERENCES" CITED The following references are of record in' the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES-PATENTS Number Name Date 272,260 Hubbard Feb. 13,18832,008,606 Braden July16, 1935 2,176,452 Chdfl'el Oct.'17, 1939 2,314,261Younghusband Mar. 16, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 444,242France l -;-Aug. 2, 1912 708,643 France ..'1 Maya, 1931

